Card. Gracias to lead the study group on nunciatures

The Archbishop of Mumbai, Asia's representative in the Council of Cardinals, called to lead the commission wanted by Pope Francis to address the issue of relations between the papal representatives and the local Churches, one of the topics that emerged from the synod consultation. The group will present its conclusions by June 2025.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Cardinal Oswald Gracias - Archbishop of Mumbai and Asia's representative in the Council of Cardinals (C9) established by Pope Francis - has been appointed coordinator of the study group that will assess the functioning and role of the papal representatives in the global Church.

The Study Group will offer suggestions to improve the functioning of nunciatures and other bodies of the Holy See in different parts of the world, so as to make their ministry more missionary and synodal. Officials from the Secretariat of State, the Dicastery for Bishops and the Dicastery for Evangelisation will participate in the study.

The issue of the relationship between papal representations and local churches is one of the ten specific points that Pope Francis, after the first session of the Synodal Assembly held in the Vatican in October 2023, had identified as needing in-depth study with a specific study.

These topics will not be discussed during the next session of the Synod scheduled from 2 to 27 October. The Assembly will only be offered a brief report of the work plans of each group, which is to present its conclusions to the Pope by June 2025.

Alongside Card. Gracias, members of the study group include Card. Mario Grech, who coordinates the Secretariat of the Synod, Archbishop Luciano Russo, Secretary of the Pontifical Representatives, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which deals with the training of the Holy See's diplomatic personnel. The study group has already begun its work with several meetings in Rome with officials from the Secretariat of State and presidents of bishops' conferences from the various continents.